Gas turbine engines have combustors wherein a combustion reaction takes place and generates hot combustion gases to power the turbine of the gas turbine engine. The combustor, particularly an inner side of the combustor wall referred to as the “hot side”, is exposed to high temperature gases and must be cooled. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a combustor with a cooling system. Conventional cooling systems are usually defined by holes such as impingement cooling holes, effusion cooling holes, etc. provided in combustor walls or components attached to the combustor walls. Some gas turbine combustors have successive wall sections such as telescoping rings that overlap one another to define entrances therebetween for film cooling air which flows rearwardly along the inside of the combustor wall in the same direction as the combustion gases. However, in present day and future aircraft engines, it is apparent that higher and higher temperatures will be used, which requires more effective combustor cooling systems.
Accordingly, there is a need for gas turbine engine combustor configurations having improved cooling systems.